Juliana, the people's Queen of the Netherlands who helped the country and its citizens recover from World War II and oversaw the independence of the remaining colonies, died yesterday at the age of 94.
The state information service said she died of a lung infection at 5:50am in the Soestdijk palace where she had lived most of her long life.
Three of her four daughters, including Queen Beatrix, were present when she died and the fourth landed shortly afterwards from the US. Crown-prince Willem Alexander is returning from holidays in Austria.
Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said in a televised speech that Juliana, who reigned for 32 years from 1948, had been a Queen "for the people and not for the directors" and had said she would have wanted to be a social worker if she had not become Queen.
"Together with Prince Bernhard, she worked for the reconstruction of our country after World War II. Supported by her religion, she was an indefatigable campaigner for solidarity, community spirit and human dignity," he said.
"With the horrors of war still on her mind, she was a warm supporter of increasing cooperation between European nations," he added. Flags were lowered at Dutch official buildings until her burial and mourners began gathering in the rain outside the palace. The date for the funeral has not yet been set.
Juliana was much loved in the Netherlands. It is her birthday, on April 30, that is still celebrated as the Dutch Queen's Day holiday.
The shy and soft-spoken Juliana ascended to the throne in 1948 and soon captured hearts both at home and abroad as she strove to bring the royal family closer to the people. The royal family spent the war time in Canada.
The "bicycling monarch" shopped at her local supermarket and sent her children to state school. Her popularity prompted the labor party to drop its demand to turn the country into a republic.
Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina was born in the Hague, the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Hendrik.
Juliana was not seen in public in recent years. Her health had worsened after breaking her hip in a fall at a friend's house in April, 1998. She suffered some loss of memory and was "confused."
Since then she has needed round-the-clock medical care. In 2001, Bernhard announced Juliana had lost practically all her memory.
During her last public appearance, at the wedding of her grandson Prince Maurits and Marilene van den Broek in May, 1998, she looked weak and was not keen to have her picture taken.
But even then, Juliana -- a devout Protestant -- caused an uproar in the press after taking Roman Catholic holy communion.
END OF AN ERA: The vote brings the curtain down on 20 years of socialist rule, which began in 2005 when Evo Morales, an indigenous coca farmer, was elected president A center-right senator and a right-wing former president are to advance to a run-off for Bolivia’s presidency after the first round of elections on Sunday, marking the end of two decades of leftist rule, preliminary official results showed. Bolivian Senator Rodrigo Paz was the surprise front-runner, with 32.15 percent of the vote cast in an election dominated by a deep economic crisis, results published by the electoral commission showed. He was followed by former Bolivian president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga in second with 26.87 percent, according to results based on 92 percent of votes cast. Millionaire businessman Samuel Doria Medina, who had been tipped
ELECTION DISTRACTION? When attention shifted away from the fight against the militants to politics, losses and setbacks in the battlefield increased, an analyst said Recent clashes in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Jubaland region are alarming experts, exposing cracks in the country’s federal system and creating an opening for militant group al-Shabaab to gain ground. Following years of conflict, Somalia is a loose federation of five semi-autonomous member states — Puntland, Jubaland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle and South West — that maintain often fractious relations with the central government in the capital, Mogadishu. However, ahead of elections next year, Somalia has sought to assert control over its member states, which security analysts said has created gaps for al-Shabaab infiltration. Last week, two Somalian soldiers were killed in clashes between pro-government forces and
Ten cheetah cubs held in captivity since birth and destined for international wildlife trade markets have been rescued in Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia. They were all in stable condition despite all of them having been undernourished and limping due to being tied in captivity for months, said Laurie Marker, founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, which is caring for the cubs. One eight-month-old cub was unable to walk after been tied up for six months, while a five-month-old was “very malnourished [a bag of bones], with sores all over her body and full of botfly maggots which are under the
BRUSHED OFF: An ambassador to Australia previously said that Beijing does not see a reason to apologize for its naval exercises and military maneuvers in international areas China set off alarm bells in New Zealand when it dispatched powerful warships on unprecedented missions in the South Pacific without explanation, military documents showed. Beijing has spent years expanding its reach in the southern Pacific Ocean, courting island nations with new hospitals, freshly paved roads and generous offers of climate aid. However, these diplomatic efforts have increasingly been accompanied by more overt displays of military power. Three Chinese warships sailed the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand in February, the first time such a task group had been sighted in those waters. “We have never seen vessels with this capability
RSS